Qi Xia, Qiao Jiajin, and Chen Junnan led Tian Tian and Lawyer Zhang down the street without looking back.
At that moment, chaos erupted among the people in the streets. They ran aimlessly through the buildings, spreading the news of the major event that had just occurred in the “Land of the End” to everyone they encountered.
As the word spread, only one phrase remained on their lips:
“The giant clock and the display screens have collapsed.”
The massive clocks and screens at various locations had shattered almost simultaneously, leaving all the “participants” without any remaining advantages.
From this moment on, they no longer knew if they had “echoed,” nor did they know where their paths would lead in the days to come.
Some said that rebels had emerged in this place, their ultimate goal being to prevent all “participants” from escaping. They had angered the “Zodiacs,” betrayed the “Celestial Dragon,” and destroyed the giant clock.
Qi Xia and his group walked against the current, while the crowd surged like a raging river.
People dashed past in panic. Some had already lost all hope, abandoning their last shred of faith, while others burned with hatred, determined to kill every last rebel.
Some even proposed pausing the “Zodiac” games, urging the “Zodiacs” to set aside their grudges temporarily and unite against their common enemy.
How absurd.
Examining the emotions in the streets, there was not a trace of hatred directed at the “Zodiacs.” Instead, an overwhelming fury was reserved solely for the “rebels.”
But wasn’t this a good thing?
At least everyone was taking action now.
They were no longer idling away their lives, no longer living in fear, nor were they divided. They were willing to unite with everyone they could see, even the “Zodiacs” who had wanted to kill them moments ago—now they could set aside their grievances and cooperate.
Getting everyone to hate the “Celestial Dragon” and “Azure Dragon” simultaneously and rise up in rebellion was always an impossible task.
Yet, ironically, simply shifting the target of their hatred to fellow “participants” had unleashed an uncontrollable rage that clouded everyone’s judgment.
“Old Qi…” Chen Junnan said grimly from behind Qi Xia, “Where are you taking us?”
“To find shelter,” Qi Xia replied. “Haven’t you noticed the storm coming?”
“Whether or not there’s a storm here is one thing,” Chen Junnan frowned as he watched the bustling crowd of “participants” in the streets, “but it looks like the giant clock is down. Everyone’s in chaos now.”
“Exactly,” Qi Xia nodded. “They’ve completed the first phase of their mission. Now they’re running for their lives.”
“Shouldn’t we help?” Chen Junnan asked.
Qiao Jiajin nodded in agreement. “Trickster… I don’t really need to ‘take shelter,’ do I? If there are still people fighting against the ‘Divine Beasts,’ I can go help.”
“You can’t,” Qi Xia said. “In this upheaval, everyone has their own fate. This is all part of a grand ‘causality.’ You can’t interfere with anything—just let things take their natural course.”
“What do you mean…?”
“Those destined to die will die. Those destined to live will live,” Qi Xia said. “Whether you do nothing now or risk your lives to intervene, the outcome will be the same.”
“So we’re just running away…?” Chen Junnan still seemed unconvinced. “I can’t shake the feeling that the ‘Cats’ won’t have an easy time dealing with the Black Tortoise… The plan’s gone off track… This isn’t what we agreed on last night…”
“But that’s not your fault,” Qi Xia said. “The Black Tortoise will die by their hands.”
“You…” Chen Junnan frowned again. “Old Qi, you seem oddly confident in the ‘Cats’… Where does that confidence come from?”
“Because I have to believe in them,” Qi Xia replied. “If even I don’t, they’ll have no one to rely on.”
Chen Junnan lowered his head slowly.
Though Qi Xia’s words made sense, he couldn’t shake a nagging unease.
The Black Tortoise had transformed into a monstrous creature with pitch-black skin—no flesh, no weaknesses. How could the “Cats” possibly kill her?
No, compared to the “Extremists,” the “Cats” were still in a better position.
Right now, the “Extremists” were exposed, while the “Cats” operated in the shadows.
Across the city, people were shouting slogans like “Kill the rebels!” as they converged on the square, making it even harder for the already-fleeing “Extremists” to escape.
It seemed that those who had dismantled the giant clock had become the embodiment of their hatred. They had no qualms about venting all their resentment toward the “Land of the End” and the “Zodiacs” onto those who had destroyed the clock.
“The ‘Extremists’ will all die,” Chen Junnan said. “Can Yan Zhichun, Jiang Ruoxue, Lin Qin, and Zhou Mo fight their way out of the crowd alive? Even though the ‘Paradise’ group went to help, they only have about twenty people… Do you know how many furious ‘participants’ there are now?”
“What difference would it make if we went?” Qi Xia lifted his gaze to the distant sky. “Whether the ‘Extremists’ and ‘Paradise’ can escape depends on whether the ‘True Sheep’ makes a move.”
“The ‘True Sheep’…?”
“If he’s willing to act, he can protect the ‘Extremists’ and ‘Paradise,'” Qi Xia said. “But it’s not easy. He might have read my mind, so the ‘causality’ of events could shift as a result.”
Then he turned to the group and said, “There’s no need to worry about others now. I have another task for you—or rather, we have a more important mission to handle.”
“What mission…?”
“I need to go to the White Sheep’s former game site,” Qi Xia said. “The safe room there holds the final weapon he left behind.”
“Eh…?” The group was stunned.
“You mean the ‘final weapon’ is…”
“I’m not sure,” Qi Xia replied. “The White Sheep could have deceived me with false memories, so I can’t make any judgments until I confirm the situation at that location.”
As they spoke, a noisy group of people came rushing toward them.
Upon closer inspection, it was a squad of about ten people being chased by a mob—led by Old Lü and Aunt Tong.
“Damn it all!!” Old Lü shouted as he ran. “Xiao Chan, who the hell did you piss off?!”
“Old Lü! Stay out of this—just run!”
Before the squad could reach Qi Xia, they were blocked by “participants” who had arrived nearby.
Upon hearing that this group was the “rebel” squad, their eyes turned bloodshot, radiating murderous intent.
“Oh no… Qi boy…?” Old Lü froze.
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